Water sports are extremely popular, many of which require the use of watercraft, such as boats and personal watercraft. Traditionally, in order to obtain buoyancy, watercraft include a shell defining an interior volume, thereby allowing the watercraft to displace a volume of water. While shell designs are generally determined based on the draft of the watercraft, several factors must be considered. Unfortunately, current shell designs are unstable, and often unsafe, during certain maneuvers and/or water conditions, such as while banking in rough water. Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a shell design that increased stability and safety of the watercraft while banking and/or in rough water.
The majority of watercraft have a top deck and a bottom hull attached at a bond flange, with the traditional single bond flange defining an “L” shape that runs parallel to the side surface. This single flange design often fails to provide insufficient stability and/or grip. Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a more stable design, such as a multi flange design. More specifically, it would be beneficial to have a multi flange, lip, or surface that is parallel or similar angled surfaces where they are positioned one over the other in any shape or form creating a design that offers better performance in all water conditions.
Small watercraft is particularly susceptible to instability in rough water conditions. Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a system for and a method of increasing stability of small watercraft.
Watercraft can become unstable during aggressive banking or similar maneuvers. Stability is further compromised by existing flanges upon such flanges becoming completely submerged. For instance, any stability forces associated with flanges of the present invention (“stability” or “gripping” forces) are counteracted by an opposed instability force upon the flange being submerged (“instability” or “sticking” forces). Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a system for and a method of increasing stability of watercraft, such as by way of one or more stability force associated with one or more flange or the like, while avoiding instability of the watercraft, such as by avoiding an opposed instability force associated with one or more flange or the like.
In some instances, instability forces are a direct cause of a user overcompensation, such as in rough waters, during a turn, or otherwise. For instance, when banking for a turn, a user must lean into the turn (i.e. apply a “leaning” force) to overcome a stability/gripping force of the watercraft. When the instability/sticking force is applied, the leaning force must be reduced accordingly to prevent the watercraft from tipping over. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know precisely how much to reduce the leaning force and when the leaning force must be reduced. Failure to timely and sufficiently reduce the leaning force can cause the watercraft to tip over. Excessive reduction of the leaning force can cause loss of the instability/sticking force, often resulting in the watercraft slamming back to a level orientation. Similar issues can arise when trying to return a watercraft to an unbanked configuration, often requiring timely application of a sufficient amount of additional leaning force and/or a timely reduction of an opposed leaning force. Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a system for and a method of eliminating or otherwise reducing instability/sticking forces. Alternatively, or in addition, it would be beneficial to have a system for and a method of reducing risks associated with failure to timely and sufficiently reduce (or increase as the case may be) a leaning forces associated with generation (or reduction) of an instability/sticking force.
Constant impacts associated with watercraft of the prior art can cause harm or fatigue to users and/or the watercraft itself. Consequently, it would be beneficial to have a system for and method of reducing impacts and/or for reducing risks associated with impacts.